Look into the future

What do you see?

Are the average levels of intelligence increasing? Are the standards of civilized people rising or declining? Are the numbers of civilized people increasing? Are the time tested standards of morality and ethics holding firm? Or careening down the hill like a 1959 Edsil with the brake lines cut, an imbicle at the wheel yelling "damn what a rush" as the S-turns to destruction at the bottom of the cliff come closer and closer.

Western Civilization has endured and improved over millinia, but can we confidently look at it and say that it will endure another 4000 years?

In our pursuit to equality we tried to pull or force countries onto the pedestal with us, while some of them were not up to the heights and got nosebleeds, and others only wanted to throw rocks and see if they could knock us off.

Now we see Chinese and Indians graduating more scientists and engineers than we ever did.
Are we so arrogant as to think that genius is only a product of a white skin?

Where will we be when the almighty dollar is no longer the dominant currency in the world?
When others standard of living in their own country increases will they still want to come here and produce, or will they see better oportunitites else where?
When your house stops increasing in value because there are more on the market than demand can soak up, and you can no longer borrow against it to finance lifestyle purchases, what then?
Will you demand that your employeer increase your wages simply because you need more?
Will you stand with your bowl in hand asking "Please sir, may I have more"?

We have finally reduced our rate of saving to a minus percentage of our national income.
I ask you, did this nation become great because it was the biggest debtor in the world, or because it was the greatest producer in the world? Where was the last purchase at Wal-mart manufactured? Hummmm?

There are those who advocate preparedness. Is it such a bad idea to have a little money sat aside? Might some of it need to be in gold or silver or other trade goods, even hand tools?
Should you grow a portion of what you eat, and preserve some of it for when the cool winds of winter blow? Or when a Tornado or Hurricane strikes? Can we outrun the bird flu, or is that just hype. Are all around the world we living only with people who like and respect us and our beliefs?

Do you have money to sustain you for at least 6 months. If you couldn't afford to go to the store do you have clothes to cover you and a source of warmth, and ability to cook something to fill that increasingly hollow spot in your midsection?

Do you have something that will continue to bring in the necessities of life if you are laid up in the bed from illness, or injury, or simply becoming too old to do what it takes to bring in additional funds.

There is more to life than the next soap on tv, or the next sixpack on the weekends or the olympics. They may distract us. They may entertain us (nothing wrong with appropriate entertainment).

Do you ever just sit and consider the future? ?